The California Supreme Court made history last month when it
granted posthumous admission to Hong Yen Chang, who was denied a law license
125 years ago due to federal and state laws denying citizenship and employment
to Chinese Americans.
A State Bar task force last month proposed the development
of a pilot program for limited licensing of legal technicians as part of a
series of recommendations aimed at closing the so-called “justice gap.”
In her annual State of the Judiciary address, Chief Justice
Tani Cantil-Sakauye said the judiciary has responded to belt-tightening with
advocacy, innovation and self-assessment. Though her speech touched less on funding than ones she’s given in previous years, Cantil-Sakauye said the courts will need more help in the future.
One new member was appointed and two others were elected
last month to the State Bar Board of Trustees.
The Board of Trustees is looking for an experienced
administrator to lead the largest unified state bar in the country.
The state Supreme Court has named a judge with a
Stockton-based workers’ compensation division to a judicial post in State Bar Court.